Credit Cards

To some people, the idea of being able to get what they want now and pay for it later sounds great. The problem is that the bill eventually comes do and must be paid. So when you see those offers that promise you can buy now and pay later, should you take advantage of them? What about when it comes to 0% financing? In those cases, you aren’t really wasting any money on interest, as long as you follow the rules. But, before you sign on the dotted line for 0% financing, make sure you consider these things. 1. Know What You Are Getting Whether or not it is a good idea to take advantage of such offers as 0% financing depends on several things. For example, will you be in a financial position to pay off the balance in full before the payoff date? What happens if you have unexpected bills pop up that prevent you from being able to pay off the balance before the due date? You should know what you are getting into before you automatically accept such a method of financing for your purchases. What you are getting is basically a credit card. 2. Understand ...

Last time we talked about starting out your financial future when embarking on adulthood. This is a crucial time in anyone’s life because the decisions that you make during early adulthood can really make or break your future financially. We broke down the two biggies in the last article: cash and credit. In this article, we are going to dive into your credit score and debit cards. So let’s jump in! Benefits of Increasing Your Credit Score If you are putting things on credit and not paying off your monthly balance, then you are directly affecting your credit score NEGATIVELY. This is the opposite of what you want to do because your credit score can impact more than you think it can. On the flip side, if you pay your credit card off every month, you are only INCREASING your credit score. The bonus here is that the higher your credit score, the more you qualify for big purchases in the future. Two of these biggies are cars and houses, with a smaller third possibility at business loans and/or credit cards to start a business. Some employers and rental companies even look at your credit score as an indicator of ...

Credit cards are one of the most prolific forms of lending that are available to borrowers. According to credit card statistics for January 2017 provided by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 5.3 million credit cards were originated during the month. This number represents a small fraction of the total number of credit cards that are originated each year. How Many Credit Card Offers Did You Receive Last Year? One reason why so many credit cards are issued is that most consumers are bombarded by multiple credit card offers throughout the year. Just because a consumer is sent a credit card offer doesn’t mean that they should accept it. Each credit card issuer will offer specific terms for the consumer to use the card, and consumers should only accept credit card offers that will provide them the best deal. Choosing the Credit Card that’s Best for You Since so many factors can affect whether or not a specific credit card offer is beneficial to the consumer, it can be difficult to choose between credit card offers from the various issuers. Sites like CreditSoup have tools that allow consumers to easily compare the terms offered by specific credit card issuers. Sites like these also offer ...

Do you use credit cards? Personally, I try to avoid using them most of the time. I’ve found that it’s far too easy to pull it out and pay for everything. Plus, I’m somehow always end up spending more than I planned. But if you are like most people, including me, you do use one at least occasionally. Of course, if you use it often, it eventually catches up with you when the bill comes in the mail. If you aren’t able to pay it off in full each month, you may end up with high interest charges to pay each month on top of the cost of your purchases. But negotiating a lower credit card interest rate can help you get your purchases paid off without wasting as much money on interest. Here are some tips to help you negotiate a lower credit card interest rate. 1. Don’t Switch Cards Although it may be tempting to try to get a credit card from a different company and transfer the balance, it may not work to your advantage. Each time you apply to get a new credit card, the issuing credit card company does a hard inquiry to your credit ...

Most people don’t have a great deal of sophistication with credit. Sure, they might have a card or two (or ten), but all of the fine print on those agreements, as well as the complex terms in credit theory – it’s just a little much to deal with. The problem is, if you don’t have knowledge about how credit works, you’re liable to use it in ways that will set you up for failure in the long term. We’ll assume for the purposes of this article that you aren’t badly in debt. If you are, fix that first. But if you are in fairly good shape with regard to debt, it’s time to get serious about your credit history. You can get a free credit report once a year. The government allows it. That report will show all of the credit cards you have, all of the times you were late on payments, and all the other times you messed up or used credit too much. Maybe you’ll see the opposite problem – you don’t have enough credit history to support a good credit score. One great course of action is to get a credit card specifically for people with ...

Disclaimer

I am by no means a financial expert. While, I have had extensive training in vision and eye health, I have had no formal financial education. All content published here is my own personal experience or opinion. Please research your own financial decisions and act accordingly. This blog does have financial relationships with some of the services and websites that are promoted. Eyes on the Dollar is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.